As the Chinese public and the media focus their attention towards environmental public interest litigation on a few court systems around the country, the role of maritime courts has emerged as a surprising alternative. Originally, the Guangzhou maritime court accepted a environmental public interest litigation case from the local procuratorate with a civil plaintiff in 2008, finally issuing its judgment on December 9, 2008. The polluters were found responsible for environmental damages, with the civil liability totalling 110,000 RMB. This case marked the first Guangdong environmental public interest litigation case satisfactorily resolved in favor of the prosecution.